100 posts
Poland threatens Belarus with EU action after crackdown
Poland has threatened to freeze progress in EU-Belarus relations and to lobby the IMF to cut off aid following a crackdown on ethnic Poles. READ MORE...
Fated to Coexistence
Polish-German relations are still full of a number of difficulties and mutual claims READ MORE...
Presidential Candidates Are Not in a Hurry
“Eastern Partnership” within Pre-election Presidential Campaign in Poland. READ MORE...
A New Start in Poland
The left in Poland – but not only in Poland – must make a new start in a spirit of self-critical reflection. After 1948 (the year in which there was a forced unification of the socialists from the PPS, which had a democratic tradition of fighting...
Patriots Appease Poland
Sometimes even a symbolic gesture carries a lot of weight, and the US’ decision to station troops and Patriot missiles in Poland, however minimal, is meant to stave off Polish defense fears and save political face. READ MORE...
In Pursuit Of Utopia
In these conservative times we must look to the past for our utopian values. If politics is about making life better, then the power of politics lies in utopia. Utopia in politics is a promise that becomes a goal, even though it is unreachable in the...
Poland in the making
20 years ago the Berlin wall fell. Or actually the citizens of GDR heard in the radio that they can now cross the border and claimed their right. Was it a revolution? In the European sense it was the high point of a wave started in Poland and Hungary...
March for Equality in Poznan, Poland
The March for Equality, an event held for a couple of years now, took place on 14th November in Poznań, Poland. Representatives of different groups – LGBT, handicaped, cyclists and others – walked out to draw attention to their rights and to the...
Germany Welcomes Polish Approval Of Lisbon Treaty
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was "delighted" that the Polish had signed the EU's reform treaty, describing Warsaw's move as the "penultimate step" toward the treaty's implementation. READ MORE...
Bravo Poland
Polish President Kaczyński has signed the Lisbon Treaty today. That means 26 of 27 European states will have ratified the Treaty. That leaves the final ratification in the Czech Republic, where the Czech Parliament has completed its work...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Poland’s Kaczynski signs today
After an extended period of procrastination and contradictory statements by spokespersons, the web site of Polish President Lech Kaczynski confirms that he will formally ratify the EU’s Treaty of Lisbon today, Saturday 10 October 2009 at a ceremony...
Putin's 'Polish Syndrome'
Ten years of absolute power and 10 years of unlimited sycophancy have not failed to leave their mark on Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He has completely lost the ability to listen to others or to hear himself. READ MORE...
Mateusz Piskorski: Poland and Russia Are Against Chauvinism: the Chance For Strategic Partnership?
The visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Poland is the most significant event in the foreign policy of Poland in 2009. The Government of Donald Tusk has a serious task to normalize Polish-Russian relations, which has lately occurred to b...
praising Poland and Ukraine
Europe.viewWreath by wreathSep 10th 2009From Economist.comHow east Europe can step over history's long shadowTWO of the five most-commented-on articles on The Economist’s website last week were about east European history. One concerned the icy rel...
Poland Remembers The Outbreak Of World War II
Poland commemorates the battle of Westerplatte, which marked the start of World War II on Sept. 1, 1939. Ignacy Skowron was one of the soldiers who tried to defend his country from the Germans' overwhelming attack. READ MORE...
What we cannot forget
- Could you give me three reasons why Poland should join the European Union? - The journalist from the Euro-sceptic Polish newspaper asked the pro-European Parliamentarian. To the satisfaction of the journalist, the politician did not know how to an...
Every generation has its own revolution?
During my holidays in Poland I came up with a startling observation: when we have a lot of young people of similar age and experience when they get around 20 years old, they rebel. Nothing new you would say? Maybe. Look at the examples I have found:1...
Polish partners continue to cause problems for Cameron
There’s more problems for David Cameron’s Conservative MEPs in the UK’s Sunday newspapers. The Observer is reporting that: One of the most respected figures in the British Jewish community has called on David Cameron to cut all lin...
Proud Poland embraces an irresistible EU future
Mikolaj Dowgielewicz is truly a new Pole. Not yet even 37 years old, he is a minister (for European Union affairs) in Poland’s centre-right government, speaks fluent English and French, was educated partly in the UK, and has spent more of hi...
Lech Walesa honoured by Berlin mayor
Yesterday, former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa has received the highest honour of the city of Berlin, the Ernst Reuter badge, from Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit for his outstanding role in making possible the fall of the Wall in the divided city of...
Buzek closer to the EP presidency
Jerzy Buzek's chances for becoming the president of the European Parliament are now greater than before last week's elections. Even the Italians admit this, even though their Mario Mauro is Mr Buzek's rival. You can read the rest of my story in "Gaz...
Buzek, Ziobro and Hubner the biggest winners in Poland
The former prime minister Jerzy Buzek, former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro and commissioner Danuta Hubner are respectively number 1,2 and 3 in terms of number of votes in the EP election in Poland. All got the support of over 300,000 voters (Buz...
Election over, Buzek just beginning
The news from the EP election which makes Poles happiest: the Germans won, the Italians are not the biggest in the EPP. All the votes have not yet even been counted, but everybody in the European Parliament is already talking about the next state: e...
Poles abroad prefer voting for foreign candidates
Poles living in other EU countries prefer to vote for local candidates for the European Parliament rather then Polish ones. I have come to this interesting conclusion after looking at data from a number of consulates. Polish people abroad can regist...
Libertas in Polish media, anti Polish, anti European and dodgy financially
Libertas unlikely prospect according to Polish medishttp://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.tvn24.pl/-1%2C1602159%2C0%2C1%2Ctvp-info-wszedzie-tam--gdzie-libertas%2Cwiadomosc.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=ISO-8859-2...
Downfall of Communism: don't forget Poland!
story_img: http://observatory.euronews.net/sites/default/files/20years.JPG Poland complained to the European Commission (EC) about a video marking the 20th anniversary of the downfall of C...
"No Solidarity" clip changed
The European Commission clip which infuriated the Poles has been slightly changed. Some "Solidarity" flags can be seen. Footage from 1993 which was mistakenly used to illustrate events from 1981 has been removed. I have already written sev...
Libertas scores own goal in Poland
The Polish media have got wind of Libertas’ plan to stem the tide of Eastern Europeans coming to Ireland to work. The daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita carries a front page story on Libertas’ Caroline Simons’ suggestion that a new “blue card
Irish Libertas wants to dispose of Poles while tens of thousands of Irish living and working in other EU countries would have to return home.
Libertas are discovering that in the media age racist issues raised in one country on Friday are quickly reported in others . Today's Gazeta Wyborcza has a blistering article pointing out the stupid racist notions of Libertas that would also mean tha...
Libertas candidates in Poland support Death penalty and hates gays and lesbians and human rights
Declan Ganley may talk a lot but who his friends are speaks volumes.One of the Libertas candidates in Poland, Wojciech Wierzejski: Quote: W trakcie sprawowania mandatu radnego, eurodeputowanego, a następnie posła, wielokrotnie krytycznie wy...
Libertas not Polish enough for Polish right-wingers
I cannot help but relay the latest piece of news concerning Libertas and the Polish Radio Maryja. It seems the later has decided Declan Ganley's movement is not Polish enough to deserve a vote.The news was brought by "Gazeta Wyborcza" here
Ryszard Bender a ultra far right anti Semite runs for Libertas in Poland
Dominika Pszczolkowska the Polish Brussels correspondent for Gazeta Wyborcza has raised some disturbing issues regarding Libertas in Poland. She notes that they have tried to strengthen their position by recruiting from the far right. One Libertas...
Libertas in Poland not as dead as it looked
The Polish branch of Libertas may not be as dead as it looked. They are battling for candidates with Law and Justice (Kaczyński's party) and have managed to attract some known euroscetics.Some time ago I reported here that Declan Ganley's Libertas h...
It's Official Libertas ally with the Far Right in Poland
Its official Libertas far right connections confirmed. furthermore as support for his allies has collapsed Ganley is reported to be funding the whole campaign personally. This is technically illegal in Poland but it is likely that the loophole expose...
Democratic Left Alliance starts its euro-campaign in Poland
We want strong and united Europe, social Europe, equal rights for men and women, Europe where everybody counts, and nobody is left behind - said Grzegorz Napieralski, President of SLD, during the opening speech.SLD leader remembered, that 5 years ago...
Polish Media Claim New Evidence on CIA Secret Prisons
This is really interesting. EUobserver reports that journalists from Polish TV station TVP and daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita say they have obtained new evidence that Poland ran a secret CIA prison used for extra-judicial extradition of terrorism sus...
Why Poles hate voting in European Parliament elections
Only 13% of Poles are planning to vote in the European Parlimanent election, the newest Eurobarometer tells us. That's less than in any other country in the EU. The average for the whole EU is 34%, while among the most interested Belgians 70% plan to...
Poles to be much more infuential in new European Parliament
Central Europeans and particularly Poles will be much more influential in the next European Parliament.This is the opinon of Simon Hix, a professor from the London School of Economics who has just published (together with Michael Marsh from trinity...
Kaczyński's girlfriend to run for EP
Here is another one on my never-ending list of fascinating Polish candidates for the European Parliament: Jolanta Szczypińska, known for her supposed romantic relationship with Kaczyński.I don't mean the president. I mean his twin brother and forme...
Polono-Polish bickering continued
If you are not sick yet with the story of Polono-Polish bickering at the NATO summit and afterwards (see my previous post) my paper has been so kind to translate my and my collegue's story about it. You can find it here...
The dirty secret about Poles at the NATO summit
Reading the European and American press it's hard to belive we were all at the same NATO summit in Strasbourg/Kehl/Baden Baden/wherever.The British and American press are sceptical about the summit's results, particularly on Afghanistan. ”With...
Goalkeeper Artur Boruc running for the EP
The list of interesting candidates for this June's European Parliament election in Poland seems to be endless. Latest update: Artur Boruc, the football player, is running from the Law and Justice (PiS) list.The news, not yet official, has been broken...
Libertas deny that Ganley is funding Polish campaign. Polish daily Dziennik says story is true and confirmed by mulitple Libertas Poland sources
Lying Libertas Lie AgainThis blog broke the story in the English language on Saturday morning at 6.15am. See hereThe Irish Times has an interesting follow up in today's paper.Sadly we are faced with yet another denial by one Libertas spokesperson in...
Declan Ganley to finance anti-Lisbon campaign in Poland
Declan Ganley will finance the anti-Lisbon campaign in Poland. His allies, who have no money, claim he will guarantee their loan and repay if himself after the election.As "Gazeta Wyborcza" reports, the Libertas crowd in Poland have foun...
A black man might represent Poland in Strasburg
The European Parliament is infamous for having very few members of colour. The Poles are out to correct that.Ok, maybe the above is an overstatement :-). But as I read in Polish media, a black candidate is to run for the EP in Lower Silesia (souther...
Wałęsa running for the European Parliament
A crowd of new interesting characters is running for the European Parliament in Poland. Among them Wałęsa. Well, no, I don't mean the legendary Solidarity leader. I mean Jarosław Wałęsa, his 33-year old son and politician. He will be running...
Polish TV presenters get "Irish Disease" as 3 top presenters get "ill", "in disgust" at Libertas coverage on TVP
Hanna Lis Polish TV News presenter out sick in disgustat Libertas and Ganley's promotion by her far right boss LPF's Piotra Farfała.Kraški Peter joined Hanna Lis and Jaroslaw Kulczycki to stay home in what one news sources calls an attack of an "Ir...
Illegal deal done in Poland? Stop Libertas corruption: Polish TV TVP corrupt coverage of Declan Ganley denounced in Poland
The face of evil? the sickly looking Polish Goebbels ,Daniel PAWŁOWIEC ,former LPF and currently employed by Declan Ganley as Libertas vp in Poland The head of Poland's TVP Piotr Farfal is a political appointee from the time the League of Polish Fa...
Poland will veto Rasmussen? Really?
A Polish newspaper claims Poland will veto the candidacy of Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to head NATO. I take this only as proof that that government is trying to negotiate something out of the Danes and other Europeans.The story was...
First Polish expat running for the European Parliament
A Pole will be running for the European Parliament from Belgium. A first in the history of Poland's elections to the EP. The candidate is 26-year old Bartosz Lech and he will be 4th on the Ecolo (Greens) list in French-speaking Belgium. The Greens h...
Libertas implode in Poland
Following this weeks split between the League of Polish families, Libertas have been abandoned by another Polish Polish League of families MEP Sylwester Chruszcz. This is a serious blow to ganley as only a few weeks back they boosted high polls in P...
The League of Polish Families and Drink-Driving
The leader of the League of Polish Families has been charged with drink-driving. There have been reports that Libertas have distanced themselves from the party because of this, but Libertas deny ever being allied with them.Personally, I've classed th...
Libertas page on Polish launch from website
Daniel Pawlowiec leader of Libertas Poland and former MP forLiga Polskich Rodzin who lost his seat in the 2008 general election The rightist politician from League of Polish Families like Daniel Pawlowiec was president of Libertas Poland. what will...
T-total Ganley splits with his Polish far right drunken skinhead allies
So Ganley has split from another ally. Poland was supposed to be one of their strong areas. Let these far right parties claw each other to pieces. Vote No to Libertas....Save Democracy from The New Hard Right!Libertas to cut links with controversial...
Poland furious not to be invited to G20
I hear the diplomatic relations between Poland and the UK are quite tense these days. All because the Polish government asked to be invited to the G20 summit in London, and the Brits refused.The summit on April 2 will continue discussions on the new...
Pole among four candidates to head the Council of Europe
The former Polish prime minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz has been declared by the Polish government as a candidate for the new secretary general of the Council of Europe. He seems to have a serious chance for the post. He will have to compete again...
Poles ski cheaper during crisis
The crisis and falling exchange rate of the Polish zloty to the euro are having unexpected consequences. Poles are now offered cheaper skiing than anybody else in neighbouring Slovakia. This interesting story was brought to light by my colleague...
Attractions and dangers of swapping the zloty for the euro
When I lived in Poland in the mid-1980s, I was once given a one-zloty coin for Christmas. This was no ordinary one-zloty coin, however. It was stamped on one side with an image of the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk, the birthplace of the Solidarity indepen...
The purpose of Poland's missiles
My father served all over Europe darning the Cold War, took part in the Berlin Airlift - and he also does not believe that Europeans should kiss his ass either or "owe" anything for it either ... The reality is that it's America that is imposing on...
Poland fighting not to be the Wild East
Will the EU try to save us if the economic crisis gets worse? Or will eurozone countries just save themselves? That's the major subject of discussion in Poland these days. It is also the stake for Poland and other Central European countries at the...
Poles divided over the euro
A new opinion poll shows Poles are evenly divided on the question of joining the euro. According to the PBS poll for ”Gazeta Wyborcza published today 47 % are in favour of having the common currency as soon as possible, 46% are against, 7% und...
Kaczyński or Klaus not welcome at EU summit?
Who is more unwelcome at the EU summit in Brussels this Sunday? Is it the Polish president Lech Kaczyński or the Czech president Vaclav Klaus?For those following the backroom deals in the EU this is the rather amusing question today. The Czech gove...
Confirmation Of The EU Bond Story From Poland
According to Deputy Polish Prime Minister Grzegorz Schetyna on Polish Radio this morning the talk of issuing Euro bonds by some EU countries is “ unfortunately true.” What is more interesting is the explanation of the “unfortunately”...
Reuters: UK and Poland top dirty coal list, closures loom
This Reuters wire published yesterday is based on official country-by-country plant data available here. The document is compliled from reports submitted by EU member states to the European Commission according to the 2001 Large Combustion Plant Dir...
Libertas Campaign Launched (Again?)
Libertas has launched it's campaign in Poland. I have to admit, I'm not sure if this is a recent event or not - the Irish Times has just reported it today, but the Libertas website sets Ganley's Polish rally on the 11th of January, but I think I visi...
Poland's Development Cooperation in 2007
Poland belongs to the group of new 'donors' in development cooperation. Some years ago it was still benefiting from external aid programmes. Now it contributes 2,5% to the European Development Fund, the largest amount among the new Member States and...
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, war dead, the EU and election dynamics
Former Polish PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski drew widespread scorn in Brussels in 2007 by stating that, when dealing with voting weights in the EU in the European Constitution / Treaty of Lisbon the number of men Poland lost in World War II ought to be taken...
Poland
Europe PolandThe tough go politickingDec 4th 2008WARSAWPoland’s lightweight government is facing its first serious challengeIT IS more an election campaign than a government. Since he won power a year ago, Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, ha...
Solidarity: Polish version
‘Solidarity’ used to be regarded as a foundation stone of the ECSC, EEC, EC and now EU. In response to criticism by Nicolas Sarkozy of the proposed siting of the US missile, system, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that it wasn...
Polish political establishment
Check out Leopolis’ analysis of the political scene in Poland in response to two op-eds from Central European Digest: These points miss fundamental changes in the Polish political establishment in the past decade and in the past year. 1) The Po...
As One CEE Country After Another Visits The IMF Sick Room, Will Poland Be Next?
Yesterday, the Ukraine received a USD16.5bn loan from the IMF and the IMF at the same time said that it would agree with the Hungarian government on a rescue package in the coming days. Under normally circumstances this would be good news for CEE ass...
